Severely Injured Owl Had To Be Euthanised, NParks Apologises To Rescuer Over Lack Of Communication

NParks Says Injured Owl Had To Be Euthanised As It Was Unlikely To Recover

When we’re out and about, we might come across injured animals in precarious situations.

The compassionate among us would strive to rescue these animals and hand them to the wildlife authorities for rehabilitation.

A man did that when he came across an injured owl in Changi.

However, the owl didn’t have a happy ending as it was put to sleep by the National Parks Board (NParks).

Man comes across injured owl in Changi

In a Facebook post in the Singapore Wildlife Sightings group, netizen Rashwinder Singh said he was on the way to Changi Village for dinner on Thursday (4 May) night.

As he was driving on Tanah Merah Coast Road — a thoroughfare on the far eastern edge of Singapore which loops around the airport — he came across an injured owl.

While many passers-by with plans for the night wouldn’t do much, given the far-flung location, Mr Singh decided to rescue the bird.

He wrapped the bird in a blanket and placed it in his back seat.

Rescuer hands injured owl over to NParks

He then drove all the way back home to Toa Payoh, dinner plans seemingly abandoned.

During the long journey, the owl sat quietly in his back seat, he said.

Later, he managed to hand over the bird to NParks, hoping it would recover from its injuries.

While many netizens praised Mr Singh for his actions, at least one feared that NParks would euthanise the bird.

To that, he replied that he had received a case number from NParks, and they assured him that they would nurse the bird back to health and release it.

Injured owl euthanised by NParks

However, The Straits Times (ST) reported on Friday (5 May) that the owl had been put down.

NParks group director of wildlife management Adrian Loo told ST that it was brought to the NParks Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation.

Sadly, vets there found it to be in “poor condition” and “barely responsive”. It also had “multiple wing fractures”.

Thus, it was humanely euthanised to end its suffering as it was unlikely to recover from its injuries.

Dr Loo also advised members of the public who encounter an injured owl not to move the bird.

Rescuer upset over owl’s euthanisation

However, the news didn’t sit well with the owl’s rescuer, Mr Singh.

In an update to his original post, he said it was “really upsetting” as he was hoping the bird would recover after all the effort put in to rescue it.

In a subsequent post on Saturday (6 May), he explained that he was unhappy that he’d received no response from NParks and their contractor about the owl when he contacted them.

However, Dr Loo responded to ST and told them about the owl’s euthanisation, even though he was the one who rescued the owl.

He also took issue with the NParks director’s advice not to move the owl, claiming that it was NParks staff who told him they would be able to come only in two to three hours.

They also told him to leave his address with them so they could pick the owl up from him — obviously meaning that he would have had to bring the owl home unless they expected him to wait at Tanah Merah Coast Road for hours.

Lastly, Mr Singh said he was assured that the owl wouldn’t be put down — however, the outcome was exactly the opposite.

NParks apologises for lack of communication

In an update on his second post, Mr Singh said Dr Loo had spoken to him over the phone.

He apologised for the lack of communication on NParks’ part and assured him they would improve on their communication in future cases.

As for the owl, he went through the extensive list of injuries the bird suffered, including multiple fractures in its wings and spine.

Thus, its euthanisation was deemed necessary.

Mr Singh said he has accepted the apology.

While it’s sad that the life of the owl couldn’t be saved, kudos to Mr Singh for his kind-heartedness.

Let’s continue to rescue animals when we can, as not every outcome will be sad.

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Featured image adapted from Rashwinder Singh on Facebook.